1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a child car seat for a toddler. More specifically, this invention relates to a child car seat having cantilever armrests that are spaced from the seat portion of the car seat and that are adapted to receive a beverage container holder for holding a juice box or other drink container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Child car seats appearing in the past generally have included a backrest and a seat with side panels or bolsters that extend up from the seat. U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,786 shows such a seat.
Booster car seats for older children are also known. Examples include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,797,654 and 5,845,968. These booster car seats differ from the above-mentioned child car seats in that they typically do not have a backrest mounted to the seat portion. The booster seats generally include a pair of relatively short side projections that extend upward and project slightly forward from the rear edge of the seat to form guides for the vehicle""s adult lap belt. Some booster car seats are provided with a cup holder arrangement mounted to a lower portion of the side wall of the seat so that the cup holder arrangement rests on the vehicle seat, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,615,925 and 5,685,604.
Yet another type of child car seat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,378. This car seat for a younger child includes a U-shaped shield that encircles the child and attaches at its ends to opposite sides of the backrest. The shield may be fitted with a removeable tray having sections configured to hold a cup, a bottle, or other item.
Another known child car seat, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,680, includes arm members rotatably attached to a rod extending through the seat platform or seat base. These generally vertical arm members may be fitted with a recess in an upper end face to hold accessories, such as a cup. The arm members are spaced from the backrest and thus would not function as armrests upon which a child may rest the entire length of his or her forearm.
A child car seat configured to provide armrests, as opposed to side bolsters, U-shaped shields, or vertical arm members, that are equipped to hold cups or other articles within reachable distance of the child would be welcomed by consumers.
Adult chairs having armrests equipped with container holders have been recognized in the past. Such adult chairs include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,110,184; 5,295,650; 5,649,737; and 5,865,412. These adult chairs may have a cup holder permanently affixed to the armrest, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,184, or removably mounted to the armrest via a bracket, clip, or brace arrangement, as seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,295,650; 5,649,737; and 5,865,412. In a different context, U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,197 discloses a child shampooing chair that is somewhat similar to an adult lawn chair. This child shampooing chair has container supports that can be snapped onto the armrests of the chair.
In vehicular and other venues, armrests or armrest frames for adult seats are known that include variously located slots or receptacles for receiving cup holders. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,190 discloses a relatively complex armrest having two elongated sides that operate in a clamshell-like motion. This armrest changes between a closed position, where the sides are adjacent one another, and an open position, where the sides are spaced from one another, to reveal a container holder. The vehicle seat disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,092 includes an armrest with cylindrical depressions oriented such that, when the armrest is moved to a stowage position behind the backrest, the depressions are oriented vertically upward for use by a passenger seated in a backseat. U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,516 discloses a concession goods holder for use in association with an armrest positioned between adjacent seats. Armrests have also been designed with a slot for receipt of a plug capable of transmission of electronic or video signals, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,513.
These known armrest arrangements in adult chairs and seats, however, may be improved upon to make them better suited for use in a child car seat. Objects, features, and advantages of the present child car seat will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description of the invention.
An advantage of the present invention is to provide a child car seat for use in a vehicle that enables the child to rest his or her forearms on armrests of the child car seat. Another advantage of the present invention is to enable a child strapped in the child car seat to have easy access to beverage containers held in a beverage container holder releasably mounted to the armrest.
A child car seat in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a seat portion having a front edge, a back edge, and a seat bottom adapted to be placed on a seat cushion of a vehicle. The child car seat also includes a child restraint system adapted to hold a child in the child car seat. The child car seat further includes a backrest that extends upwardly from, and is contiguous with, the back edge of the seat portion. The seat portion and backrest preferably are formed as a unitary shell structure. The child car seat includes at least one cantilever armrest having a first end and a second end, with the first end of the cantilever armrest attached to the backrest. Another cantilever armrest preferably is attached to the other side of the backrest. Alternatively, a cantilever armrest is attached to one side of the backrest, and a side bolster is formed on the other side of the child car seat. The remaining discussion relates to the preferred embodiment, which has two cantilever armrests.
Each cantilever armrest is vertically spaced from the seat portion along the length of the armrest, with the length of each armrest being greater than one half a length of the seat portion from the back edge to the front edge. The cantilever armrests are located at a height above the seat portion generally equal to the distance between a child""s elbow and the child""s seat so that the child may rest his or her forearm on the armrest.
The cantilever armrests preferably are rigidly attached to the backrest. The first end of each cantilever armrest includes a first mounting surface, and each side of the backrest has a second mounting surface. The first mounting surface and the second mounting surface confront each other and are connectable to connect the respective armrests to the backrest at the appropriate position. More specifically, in one preferred embodiment, the first end of each cantilever armrest has a groove therein, and the backrest has a tongue formed in respective recesses on each side of the backrest. The groove in the cantilever armrest defines a U-shaped groove that opens to the first end of the armrest and that extends from the top surface to the bottom surface of the armrest. The tongue is configured to receive the groove of the respective cantilever armrests. In this embodiment, the first mounting surface comprises an inner surface of the groove, and the second mounting surface comprises a side surface of the tongue.
In another embodiment, rather than being attached in a tongue-in-groove arrangement, the cantilever armrest may be rigidly attached to a side surface of the backrest. In this embodiment, the first end of the cantilever armrest does not include a groove, and the backrest does not include tongues. In yet another embodiment, the cantilever armrests may be integrally molded to the backrest in a unitary structure formed by the seat portion, the backrest, and the cantilever armrests.
In still another embodiment of the invention, at least one, and preferably both, of the cantilever armrests may be pivotally attached to the backrest. The pivotable, cantilever armrests pivot in at least one of an upward direction and a downward direction relative to the seat portion and, in some embodiments, pivot in both directions. The cantilever armrests thus can be pivoted out of the way to create room at the side of the child car seat so that a child caregiver may easily maneuver the child into the child car seat.
The pivotable, cantilever armrests may be attached to the side surfaces of the backrest, and, from a position generally parallel to the seat portion, the cantilever armrests may be pivoted up to a generally vertically oriented position in alignment with the respective side surface of the backrest or pivoted down to a position along the respective side surface of the seat portion. The pivotable, cantilever armrests alternatively may be attached to a pivot attachment portion formed at either side of the backrest. In such an embodiment, the backrest may include a pair of recessed areas for receiving the armrests when pivoted upward, or it may include a contoured cut-out area on either side into which the armrests may pivot. For armrests that pivot downward, each side of the seat portion may include recessed areas or contoured cut-out areas, similar to those formed in the backrest in the embodiment with upward pivoting armrests.
In another aspect of the invention, at least one of the cantilever armrests has a receptacle formed therein for receiving a beverage container holder. The receptacle preferably comprises a slot formed in an upper surface of the cantilever armrests. A beverage container holder, which may be sized to receive juice boxes, flexible drink cups, and other beverage containers, has a main body configured to carry the beverage container and a flange that releasably fits into the receptacle in the cantilever armrest. The flange preferably extends downward from a top surface of the beverage container holder, in a direction parallel to a central axis of the main body, and is spaced from the main body. In an alternative embodiment, the receptacle may be formed in the front surface or in either side surface of the cantilever armrest, and the flange then extends in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the main body for slidable receipt in the receptacle.
When soft goods or padding is placed on the child seat, the padding covers the cantilever armrests; thus, the receptacle would not be readily visible to a person looking at the cantilever armrests. The padding has a slit in juxtaposition with the receptacle, and the flange of the beverage container holder may be slid through the slit in the padding and into the receptacle.
Other techniques for attaching a beverage container holder to a cantilever armrest are contemplated by the present invention. For example, the beverage container holder may be attached to the cantilever armrest via an elastic sleeve that is attached to the beverage container holder and that slips over the cantilever armrest. The beverage container holder of this embodiment may be attached to either the left or the right armrest, depending on the preference of the child or the parent. In a car seat positioned on the left side of the car, a parent seated in the front seat may reach a beverage container mounted to the right armrest more easily. The beverage container holder also may be attached to the cantilever armrest with a hook and loop type fastening arrangement, where the cantilever armrest has a patch of either hook or loop material, and the beverage container holder has a patch of the complementary material. Still further, the cantilever armrest may be fitted with a sleeve that has a fastener to which the beverage container holder with a complementary fastener may be engaged when desired. One such fastener/complementary fastener arrangement comprises snaps. Other forms of attaching the beverage container holder to the cantilever armrest are deemed to fall within the scope of the invention.